ZX Spectrum Vega+ vs original Spectrum Vega: What’s the difference?

Fans of Sir Clive Sinclair’s ZX Spectrum can now back the ZX Spectrum Vega+ on Indiegogo, a PSP-style portable games console that comes with 1000 classic games built-in. But what are the ZX Spectrum Vega+ specs and how does it compare with the original ZX Spectrum Vega?

The original ZX Spectrum Vega was a simple plug-and-play device that connected to your TV and allowed you to play a massive range of Spectrum games, either from the hard drive or via a memory card. But now Sir Clive has launched an Indiegogo for a much more exciting gaming machine; the ZX Spectrum Vega+, which comes with a built-in LCD screen for portable play.

That LCD display is the major difference between the original Vega and the all-improved Vega+, giving you full freedom over when and where you get your Manic Miner on. There’s no word so far on the screen’s size or resolution, which may not be set in stone yet. Neither is there any mention on the Indiegogo campaign of what size battery will be included, to keep you powered up on the move. We’re chasing the team for more info.

You can still connect the Vega+ to your telly at home if you want a bigger screen to admire all of those gorgeous pixels. Simply plug a standard A/V cable into your Vega+ headphone socket, then connect to any PAL or NTSC TV.

The Vega+ comes in four colours instead of just one, like the original Vega. However, the special edition red, white and blue models will only be available through the Indiegogo campaign, so you’ll need to back the Vega+ to get these colours. Else, you’re stuck with the black model (which at least mirrors the original Spectrum machine).

Like the old Vega, you get four main action buttons on the Vega+ (F, S, 1 and 2) plus four additional buttons (three secondary action and a menu button) as well as a D-Pad for directional control.

There are a few other differences between the Vega and the Vega+, such as an increased colour palette and support for microSD rather than standard SD memory cards. However, there’s still no support for Bluetooth devices such as keyboards – here’s hoping that the Vega+ will actually work with plug-in USB devices instead. Sir Clive’s team is ‘looking into expanding’ in this respect.